2 ms·

It's _very_ difficult to hire "up" in talent. Organizations _tend_ to hire slightly less talented people then they already have. Keeping top talent around and u

It's _very_ difficult to hire "up" in talent. Organizations _tend_ to hire slightly less talented people then they already have. Keeping top talent around and using them to attract more top talent is key. Once you lose top talent, the likelihood of you bringing in someone to help bootstrap things again is pretty low.

convolvatron 4y ago
I have been brought in many times as a senior person to right a troubled ship. I can't think of a case where its turned out well...I'm hardly perfect - but its very easy for the existing team to decide you're a weird pain in the ass, and very difficult to 'reach down' in a friendly and constructive way and slowly tease them into acting like a functional team.
- Ensorceled 4y ago
  Similar experience. Often the entrenched interests have no idea how bad things are and will fight you every step of the way. I’ve had a couple of successes but in each of those cases the team was really hurting and glommed onto me like a life preserver.
- mattgreenrocks 4y ago
  These situations always strike me as very difficult, as righting a team that is already on the rocks is much, much harder than steering it away from big problems. Sometimes I wonder if the real purpose of being brought in to those situations is to give management cover for ending the project.
  - rootusrootus 4y ago
    I agree. I am brought in somewhat regularly to "unfuck" troubled teams. Most times, what my manager is actually wanting is for me to tell him why the project should just be abandoned and the team rebuilt for something else. When it goes well, everyone loves me. Especially the team. Because they've been saying all along what's going off the rails but nobody listens any more. But I can say it, and for a while at least everyone hears it.
gsibble 4y ago
I dunno. I prefer being the smartest person in the room (at least at work). Makes my job super easy.
rob74 4y ago
...especially since you don't want someone to bootstrap things again, you want someone to work on something that other people already bootstrapped - and lots of "top talent" don't find this kind of job very appealing...

convolvatron 4y ago

I have been brought in many times as a senior person to right a troubled ship. I can't think of a case where its turned out well...I'm hardly perfect - but its very easy for the existing team to decide you're a weird pain in the ass, and very difficult to 'reach down' in a friendly and constructive way and slowly tease them into acting like a functional team.

Ensorceled 4y ago
Similar experience. Often the entrenched interests have no idea how bad things are and will fight you every step of the way. I’ve had a couple of successes but in each of those cases the team was really hurting and glommed onto me like a life preserver.
mattgreenrocks 4y ago
These situations always strike me as very difficult, as righting a team that is already on the rocks is much, much harder than steering it away from big problems. Sometimes I wonder if the real purpose of being brought in to those situations is to give management cover for ending the project.
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  I agree. I am brought in somewhat regularly to "unfuck" troubled teams. Most times, what my manager is actually wanting is for me to tell him why the project should just be abandoned and the team rebuilt for something else. When it goes well, everyone loves me. Especially the team. Because they've been saying all along what's going off the rails but nobody listens any more. But I can say it, and for a while at least everyone hears it.

gsibble 4y ago

I dunno. I prefer being the smartest person in the room (at least at work). Makes my job super easy.

rob74 4y ago

...especially since you don't want someone to bootstrap things again, you want someone to work on something that other people already bootstrapped - and lots of "top talent" don't find this kind of job very appealing...